Violin bridge



B. HELKE VIOLIN BRIDGE Filed Nov. 2, 1921 Patented Oct. 16, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN HELKE, OF GLENCOE, ILLINOIS.

VIOLIN BRIDGE.

Application filed November To all w/u'nn it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN HELKE,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Glencoe, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Violin Bridge, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to bridges for violins, and has for its principal object to provide an inexpensive violin-bridge that will so respond to the vibrations of the violin strings as to greatly increase the richness of tone of the instrument, and which will avoid the production of muted effects and the harsh rank and scratchy tones so often present in the music produced on the less expensive violins.

Another object of my invention isto provide a reversible violin-bridge formed with resilient portions disposed at suitable points withrelation to the side and intermediate strings and the center of the sounding board of the instrument, so as to uniformly balance the 1 resiliency of the bridge to suit the nature of the vibrations transmitted by each of the strings and the sounding board.

The bridges heretofore used for supporting the strings of violinshavebeen provided with resilient portions to support the outside strings, but no satisfactory"provisions have been made for resiliently supporting the intermediate strings, the center portion of such bridges usually containing a large portion of wood which, in addition to interfering with the delicacy of the transmission of the vibrations of the outside strings, provide a relatively stifl", unyielding support for the intermediate strings. With such construction. the tones produced by the vibrations of the intermediate strings, do not have the richness and mellowness of the tones produced by the vibrations of the strings that are supported on the more resilient portions of the bridge.

With my invention. I overcome the above objections to the bridges heretofore used, and attain the above mentioned and other incidental objects by forming my improved bridge with relatively slender columns which provide the desired resiliency to permit the bridge to respond quickly to the vibrations of the strings and sounding board. of the instrument, the said columns being so arranged as to balance the resiliency 2, 1921. Serial N0.- 512,339.

of the bridge and transmit the vibrations of the strings to the center of the sounding board, and at the same time possess sufficient strength to withstand the various pressures and stresses to which violinbridges are subjected.

A preferred embodiment of my invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, wherein- Fig. 1 is a side view in elevation of a violin bridge made in accordance with my invention; and

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in the two figures of the drawing.

Referring to the drawing, my improved violin-bridge is indicated as a whole by the reference numeral 10, and consists of a piece of wood or other suitable material formed at its lower edge with curved base portions or feet 11, 11, adapted to rest on the belly of the violin (not shown), and having a curved upper edge providing a crown 12 on which the strings of the instrument are supported. The body of the bridge diminishes in thickness from the base portion to the crown, substantially as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing, and the crown is formed with the usual notches 13, 14, 15 and 16 adapted to retain the violin strings G, D, A and E, respectively. in proper spaced relation to each other. The vertical edges of the bridge are formed with slits 17, 17 communicating with the lower portion of openings 18, 18, so as provide resilient arm portions 19, 19, on which the violin-strings G and E are supported. These arm portions are slightly resilient independently of the other portion of the bridge. In order to properly balance the resiliency of the bridge so that it will yield. in response to vibrations of the intermediate strings D and A, in proper proportion. to the yielding action produced by the vibrations of strings G and E. 1 preferably cut away the lower portion of the bridge intermediate the openings 18, 18, so as to provide relatively slender columns 20, 20, at points, preferable, intermediate the notches 13, 14 and 15, 16. The slender columns 20, 20*, are also preferably disposed slightly 0H center inwardly with relation to the base portions 11, 11, and are adapted to yield in response to the vibrations of all tour strings. and also the vibrations of the. body of the instrument.

The upper portion of the bridge is formed with an opening 21 which positioned substantially beneath the intermediate strings D and A of the violin. and is separated in the recess 2 by a. relatively narrow bar 23.

ll'hen using a bridge of the above construction. the vibrations of the strings. transmitted to the sounding board have illSl to pass only through the slender columns 20. 20" and then through the relatively small angular columns 2%. 2i. consequently such construction permits a very 't'ree vibration of the bridge to be transmitted to the belly of the violin.

lVhile I have described my invention in connection with a bridge particularly suitable for use on a violin. it will. be obvious that the bridge above described could readily be used on other stringed instruments. It will also be obvious that the bridge shown and described is capable 0t being modified in structure, without departing from the spirit of my invention. I therefore do not limit myself to the exact structure shown and described. except in so far as expressly limited in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A bridge for a stringed musical instrument comprising a body formed with a pair of relatively thin and narrow resilient columns arranged midway ot the height of the bridge and disconnected from each other at their lower ends a pair of resilient arms supported by said columns and extending in opposite directions away from said columns and a pair of supporting seats spaced apart. arranged to underlie the outer ends of said arms and to support said columns.

52. A bridge for a stringed musical instrument comprising a head portion. the opposite ends of which are formed to constitute resilient arms adapted to support the outer strings. said head portion being provided with two relatively slender columns extending downwardly from substantially midway of the height of the bridge and constituting the immediate support for said arms, and a pair ot seats spaced apart and underlying the outer ends of said arms, said seats being directly connected with said columns.

2%. A bridge for a stringed musical instru ment having resilient arms on which the outside strings are supported and provided with relatively slender columns disposed on opp site sides of the vertical center of the bridge and terminating in separat angular portions adapted to bear against the belly ot the instrument: said columns being so disposed with relation to their associated base portions as to be readily yieldable in response to vibrations of the several strings of the instrument.

A bridge for a stringed musical instrument. comprising a body having openings on opposite sides of its vertical center with slits extending from said openings to the verti cal edges of the bridge so as to provide resilient arms on which the outside strings of the instrument are supported. and having a centrally disposed recess extending upwardly from the lower edge of the bridge to a point between said openings; the portions of the body intervening between said openings and said recess providing slender columns adapted to yield in response to the vibrations of the several strings of the instrument.

5. A bridge for stringed instruments co1nprising a body having openings on opposite sides of its vertical axis with slits extending from said openings to the vertical edges of said body. thereby providing a pair of op positely extending resilient arms. and having a centrally disposed recess extending up wardly from the lower edge of the bridge and between said openings, thereby providing a pair of slender supporting columns. said recess being widened in opposite directions at its lower portion so as to underlie said openings and provide a. pair of widely spaced apart seats constituting the immediate supports for the bridge.

BENJAMIN HELKE. 

